In the beginning.
Once upon a time, long after the battle of the Gods and Titans an evil Witch King drunk on the stolen power from a fallen titan rose to power. He demanded that his people forsake the Gods and worship only him. Eventually, the people turned against him and pierced his body with arrows and swords after a costly battle. The Witch Kings blood seeped into the ground, and his malevolence spread. It warped and twisted everything it touched, causing great upheavals as the land revolted. When everything settled, it brought a terrible cold. The people called this the White Curse, and learned to endure it. But the Witch Kings spirit also endured. As time passed, he grew stronger in the afterlife, ever yearning to return and take revenge. The twisted lands began to hear his call. Now, the veil between the living and the dead grows thin. Horrible shadows slip into the world, and old artifacts of the Witch King begin to awaken.
The Premise Continues...
As the campaign begins, 400 years have passed since the death of the Witch King. To most his demise is just a myth, created to explain the hard facts of life: its damned cold, there are monsters outside, and sometimes your kids are born twisted. These facts of life are harder for
some then others though. All elves, dwarves, and halflings have been struck by the curse. Their ancient cultures in ruins.
The White
The curse has truly changed the land. Earthquakes have buries cities, toppled mountains, turned the flow of rivers, and ruined dwarven kingdoms. The old roads and caverns of the underground are treacherous, and you may run into sunken buildings that nobody has entered for centuries. A perpetual winter has transformed the wilderness, which is now simply called "The White". It is full of goblins, orcs, wild animals, and monsters, sometimes made more dangerous by the curse. From the ruins of old come fiercer beings still, seizing the chance to gain power: Great Wyrms have been sighted on numerous occasions.
It takes courage, proper equipment, and skill to brave the White. This is one of the reasons why the Crimson Company rose to such prominence in the last 200 years. Though, tt is best to find a ship and travel along the coast or on the large lakes and their connecting rivers. The waters hold monsters too, though, drifting ice and even icebergs make ship loss common. When there are no waterways, getting aboard a rock snail or following a caravan with some proper giant guides are good if not entirely safe choices. Travelers stick to the known routes even when the run below ground.
Civilization
Decent folk seek refuge near rivers, hot lakes, in villages protected from the wind, in large walled cities, and in Vorn, the largest city in the lands which is located in the mountains. But you cannot hide from the curse. It seems to make people more cunning, greedy, and sometimes prone to violence. Human communities are crowded and rife with intrigue and social strife.
Religion
People of different cultures worship similar Gods, though sometimes under different names. It is said that a Gods power is relative to its following. Open worship of any non-human Gods have been banned by the Council of Vorn but it can only be enforced within large cities. Amongst humans, there are the following;
- Correan: The very picture of the paladin's ideal, Corean is an unflinching crusader among the gods. He has the strength of mountains, and his smoky armor reflects his ties to the earth and the metals that run through it. He bears a longsword that he forged himself from scraps gleaned from a titan's forge - that of Golthagga, who was the first to taste the blade's edge. Corean is generally unwilling to compromise, although he generally errs on the side of compassion rather than on the side of law. Many people praise him as the ideal of virtue, although more people pay lip service to him than are willing to live up to his standards.
- Madriel: Madriel flies on wings of peacock feathers, an armored angel with a spear formed from the purest, whitest sunlight. Although relentless in her struggle against suffering (and particularly against her rival Belsameth), she is the most merciful and compassionate of the gods. Her temples are popular across Neverwhere, particularly in areas where people pray for fertility to return to their fields.
- Tanil: Of all the gods, Tanil is most likely to spend some of her time quietly walking the face of Neverwhere. However, this doesn't make her sociable - she prefers back roads and untrod wilderness to highways and villages. The ultimate champion of the underdog, she is the queen of archery and stealth, generally favored by rogues, bards and wayfarers. She appears as a lithe archer wearing flexible bronze armor. Her arrows are silver-tipped, as she dislikes the poor treatment of animals and considers the world's werebeasts an insult.
- Hedreda: The Lawgiver is keeper of all the things that civilized beings have learned, and is the patron of society itself. He is the ultimate impartial judge, striving to make certain that each person receives what he or she has earned (for good or ill). He's commonly shown as a stern man in somber robes, crowned with gold and wielding a massive two-handed hammer.
- Denev: The only surviving titan, Denev sided with the gods - in particular, her children - against her brothers and sisters who ravaged Neverwhere. However, the long battle left even more wounds on the world's surface, driving her to retreat to its heart in frustration and fatigue. She still answers prayers from those who venerate her, and is honored by the other gods. She is not a generous or merciful mother, though; she respects nature at its bloodiest as well as at its most beautiful. She is rarely depicted in humanlike form - tales paint her as a mountain range or forest come to life - although she is said to wield a stone sickle when roused to make war.
- Enkili: The real wild card of the gods, Enkili can't really be said to be on anyone's side - not even his own. His tempestuous and stormy personality is mirrored in each freak storm or sudden calm. He commonly shapeshifts from form to form, even changing gender so regularly that no two temples portray the same image of him (or her). As the trickster figure of the pantheon, he also gets into trouble far more often than any divine being should. When he uses a weapon, he commonly wields a thunderbolt-hurling flail that lashes so wildly that others doubt it's under his control.
- Chardun: Tyrant among gods, Chardun exemplifies the worst traits of the most despotic generals, emperors and masters. His weapon is a golden macelike scepter that's stained deeply with blood. He wears the white regalia of a conquering hero, but his robes and sandaled feet are splattered with blood and dusted with powdered bone. He is particularly venerated by militaristic people with powerful ambitions, but anyone who craves domination is a worthy follower. A general who seeks a throne and a man who covets absolute obedience from his woman are both near to Chardun's black heart.
- Belsmath: The vulture-winged goddess Belsameth is the incarnation of everything people fear about the night. Her basalt throne sits on the dark side of the moon; her power over the moon grants her power over lunacy and makes her the patron goddess of Neverwhere's werebeasts. Her preferred weapon is a jet-black dagger, and she is favored by evil sorcerers and witches, Neverwhere's harpies, wily and murderous goblins, and of course by werewolves and their like.
- Vangal: The volcano-god Vangal is the very embodiment of war. He is commonly depicted as a huge charioteer in filth-covered armor, beard and dreadlocks matted with blood. He wields two massive axes still encrusted with the blood of the titans he overcame. He has few human followers, as it's said that when he gains sufficient power, he'll bring about the destruction of Scarn itself. The few cults dedicated to him, called the Horsemen, are much-dreaded doomsayers and warriors.
- Ded: Is the only new good that appeared 200 years ago. He is a harsh and unforgiving God of Laws, has several churches and knightly orders, the White Cloaks being one of them. Ded also has a traitor son who name has been banished from existence. He is still worshiped in mystic blood cults under the name of the Bleeder. Bleeder cults are outlawed in most civilized areas and their priests are feared by all.
The Shadow Realm
The Shadow Realm, also called "The Black"; is just that: a shadow of the world of the living. It is void of color and filled with undead, shadows, and other frightful creatures. The Witch King is a force to be reckoned with in there, but there are older and more powerful beings still, and they have their own agendas. The Shadow Realm is just as much phenomenon of time as it is one of space and dimension. It currently follows the lay of the land as it used to be, before the cataclysmic death of the Witch King. There are mountains, rivers, lakes, roads, and buildings in there that are ruined or do not exist in the world of living anymore. There are no nights or days, and winds and weather changes are rare (and usually ominous). Most of the time, there is just a perpetual autumn, gloomy but
comparatively warm. Flora and fauna in the Black are strange. Fungi, moss, poisonous fruit trees, and white grass abound, and the animal creatures in there are barely recognizable to a visitor from the land of the living. Sometimes, you may encounter objects or individuals that seem to come from another world entirely. Scholars and scientists that study his subject say that the Shadow Realm moves, and that it has never been this close before. But the world is old and filled with mysteries. There are old inscriptions on stones, weapons and magically preserved tomes that tell of means to travel the Black. Ancient entrances and exits are hidden throughout the land, and those know know where to look can find them.
The twisted are victims of a terrible curse. Most have been disfigured, a lot or just a little. Some seem to have been changed on the inside instead, becoming indifferent, cunning, ingenious or suspicious. Ordinary people fear and animals fear, exile, enslave, persecute, or even kill the twisted. It is a powerful social stigma that some say is the true nature of the curse.
Major Organizations
- Watchers: A secret society sworn to lift the curse and prevent the Witch King's return. They hunt down shadow creatures; try to expose the lurking Witch Cult and work against the spread of evil. They also delve into the mysterious of the past, in order to better understand the curse and learn how to undo it.
- Witch Cult: Members are loyal servants to an undead master, sworn to see him return from his shadowy exile. They work with the horrid messagers of from the Shadow Realm, topple just rulers, rediscover evil artifacts in sunken ruins and help spread the curse. They fight against the Watchers and back stab their allies to advance in the cult's hierarchy.
- White Cloaks: The White Cloaks are a strong religious organization with political ambitions. The members believe that the curse is a test of perseverance. Those who endure shall be rewarded by the God of Law (Deb) in the afterlife. They organize correction camps for the twisted, who they believe to be morally corrupt and sometimes show off examples of cured twisted individuals. The White Cloaks are growing in numbers, and fast. They offer their services as peace keepers and work to outlaw all beliefs except their own and want all magic users to be tested for the curse. There are three types of White Cloaks. Most are unarmed and unarmored missionaries. The Knights are the armed peace keepers. They are equipped with chain mail, shields, and swords. The priests are learned and a lot of times spell casters. They wear light armor and carry daggers. All wear variants of the White Cloak that has given them their name.
- Rat Kings Thieves Guild: They are the second largest and prominent guild in the lands. They are largely secretive and retain their power and control through cunning and the use of black powder. Their members were the ones that invented it and hold the monopoly. All sales go through them in way or another and stock is closely monitored.
- The Crimson Company: The largest guild in the lands. Their organization is split into three divisions; The Garrison Division (which are paid city and town guards. Their coast of arms bear a twin rose motif), The Imperial Division (which are king/queens/palace guards. Their coat of arms has a unicorn motif), and the Scout Division (which are the pathfinders, the monster hunters, the trouble shooters, the postal carriers, the artifact finders, and the civil servants that conduct rites of passage such as funerals/marriages/baby naming/etc. Their coat of arms have a crossed wings motif). They arose as a neutral power after the death of the witch king to help the common man.
- The Bleeder Cult: A mystic blood cult that follows the God known as the Bleeder. They hold secret rites and are usually indistinguishable among the common man.
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